title: Dietary habits of preschool aged children with tonsillar hypertrophy, pre- and post-operatively.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Tonsillectomy has been reported to have a positive effect on weight gain of children with tonsillar hypertrophy. This effect may be related to better respiration or/and feeding, immunological or metabolic factors. In this study we analyse the effect of tonsillectomy on the dietary habits of children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dietary habits of thirty 4-6 years old children were assessed before the operation and six months after it, using 24 hours dietary-recalls. In parallel, dietary habits of eighteen healthy children of the same age were assessed using the same method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children with tonsillar hypertrophy were receiving greater amounts of daily calories overall from sugar products, soft drinks and edible fats (p = 0.01, t = 2.673). Post-operatively, they increased the calories they were consuming daily and consumed even greater amounts of these food (p < 0.001, t = 3.527) in relation to the control group, gaining weight significantly (p = 0.043).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parents should be aware of a possible weight increase after tonsillectomy which can be related to an over-consumption of products like candies and soft drinks.
authors.affiliation: Technological Edutation Institute (T.E.I) of Crete, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Siteia, Greece.
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Gkouskou
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Vlastos
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hajiioannou
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hatzaki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Houlakis
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Fragkiadakis
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy; D008297:Male; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D010608:Pharyngeal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D057234:Preoperative Period; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D015430:Weight Gain